🗽 We are at the beginning of a major confrontation involving several fronts, and our task is to use our own resources wisely.

The Americans have a long history of redefining the goals of their military involvement in a number of crises: from the grandiose — democratisation of Iraq, transformation of the Middle East, etc., to a reasonable scale. As the commander in Iraq David Petraeus formulated it in 2006, the US goal was no longer to build a “Jeffersonian democracy”, but to create conditions for the withdrawal of troops so that it would not look like a defeat.

Washington’s goal in Ukraine — from a grand defeat, the “decolonization of Russia”, and creating conditions for internal upheaval — may gradually begin to shift to an attempt to end the confrontation in a way that does not look like a defeat, writes Valdai Club Programme Director Andrey Sushentsov.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/the-us-presidential-election-and-the-dilemmas/

#Return_of_Diplomacy #UnitedStates

🗣🗣🗣

🇺🇸🇨🇳 China has firmly integrated into the American-centric model of globalisation, but unlike most other countries, it has been able to maintain its sovereignty and prevent the United States from influencing its domestic political processes.

China's economic rise has led to the strengthening of its technological, industrial, and military capabilities. Sooner or later, such growth was bound to become a problem for the United States. The presidency of Donald Trump in 2016-2020 was a period when a visible shift occurred in American policy towards China. 

Trump changed the approach to China both at the doctrinal level and at the level of practical policy. In doctrinal terms, Trump exacerbated all the comments that were previously made about the PRC in a cautious and delicate manner: China is an authoritarian country with a communist regime that has little in common with American values. The rise of the PRC is a problem and a challenge for the United States. China's overseas projects, such as the Belt and Road project, are a means of economic expansion for the Celestial Empire that must be contained.

The Biden administration was much more restrained in its anti-Chinese rhetoric. However, it did not change the structure of sanctions pressure on China. The problems that generated the sanctions were not resolved.

In the end, both Trump and Harris, if they win, will continue the course of containing China. However, Trump's performance will be more aggressive and assertive, writes Ivan Timofeev, Programme Director of the Valdai Discussion Club.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/trump-or-harris-does-it-matter-for-china/

#Multipolarity_and_Connectivity #UnitedStates #China #Trump #Harris

🗣🗣🗣

📆 ANNOUNCEMENT: On September 19 at 16:00 Moscow Time (GMT+3), the Valdai Club will host an expert discussion, titled “Elections in the USA: What Awaits Ukraine?”

The United States presidential elections, which will be held in November, are especially significant. Political polarisation in the country has reached a critical point. If a few years ago the peak of this process was an attempt to seize the Congress building by force, this year we witnessed an assassination attempt on a presidential candidate.

Amid domestic political contradictions, material problems are also accumulating: the infrastructure is deteriorating, the railway industry is facing difficulties, external debt is growing, migration policy is stalling, and inflation remains high.

Problems in foreign policy are also multiplying. The discussion about China presenting a key challenge to American influence is becoming more active, but the Ukrainian conflict also remains in sight.

❓Republicans and Democrats disagree on many issues, but how different are their positions really?
❓How can US foreign policy change? Will it change at all?
❓What scenario awaits Ukraine after the American elections?

The participants in the discussion will try to answer these and other questions.

🎙️ Speakers:

🔹 Dimitri Simes, Channel One host, founder and former president of The Center for the National Interest (USA)

🔹 Sergey Kislitsyn, Acting Director of the Institute of the USA and Canada at the Russian Academy of Sciences

🔹 Ivan Safranchuk, Director of the Centre for Eurasian Studies, MGIMO University

🔹 Vladimir Pechatnov, Professor at the Department of History and Politics of European and American Countries,  MGIMO University

Moderator:

🗣 Andrey Sushentsov, Programme Director of the Valdai Discussion Club

https://valdaiclub.com/events/announcements/valdai-club-to-discuss-the-us-presidential-elections-and-future-of-ukraine/

Working languages: Russian, English.

ℹ️ Information for the media: In order to get accredited for the event, please fill out the form on our web site. If you have any questions about the event, please call +79269307763

Links to the live broadcast of the discussion will be posted on all online platforms of the Valdai Club: on the website, X (formerly Twitter), VK, Telegram and Dzen. 

#Return_of_Diplomacy #UnitedStates #Ukraine

🗣🗣🗣